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UPDATE: Det. Daniel Seuzeneau, who it turns out
is the public information officer for the Slidell Police
Department, and not the officer who arrested Joshua Hakken, emails:
"Mr. Hakken, as far as we know, was not at an anti-government
rally. I never made that statement and don’t know where that came
from."

It's been 24 hours since Joshua Hakken allegedly
broke into his mother-and-law's house in Tampa, tied her up
with zip ties, and left with his sons Cole and Chase--who are two
and four years old--in his mother-in-law's car. Florida law
enforcement authorities say the "anti-government" couple of Joshua
and Sharyn Hakken are now on the run with Cole and Chase in tow.
Law enforcement agencies in Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana have
all issued child abduction alerts, as well as disseminated pictures
of the Hakken family.

Over the course of those 24 hours, we've learned a thing or two
about the Hakkens from law enforcement and the media. The story
taking shape is both tragic and infuriating, as it appears from an
interview with officials in Louisiana that the couple's problems do
indeed stem from Joshua Hakken's 2012 marijuana arrest.

Here's what we know at this point about the chain of events that
led the Hakkens to "abduct" their own children:

Joshua Hakken, an engineer from Tampa, Florida, was arrested
at an "anti-government
rally" in a hotel in Slidell, Louisiana, on June 17, 2012;
and charged with "Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug
Paraphernalia and Possession of a controlled dangerous substance in
the presence of a minor."

According to Det. Daniel Seuzeneau, the Slidell police officer who
arrested Joshua Hakken a public information officer for
the Slidell Police Department, Hakken ”was under the influence
of narcotics and also had narcotics inside his hotel room and he
was speaking kind of out of his mind a little bit.”

Seuzeneau says that Department of Children and Family Services
was called, the kids were taken, and Hakken was jailed for "maybe a
week or so but not very long.”

The children were placed in temporary foster care in
Louisiana.

Allegedly armed with a firearm, Joshua Hakken tried to "abduct"
his children from the foster care facility, and then left when he
could not get inside.

According to multiple media outlets, a judge in Louisiana gave
permanent custody of the Hakken children to Sharyn Hakken's mother
in Tampa on Tuesday of this week.

The Amber Alert issued by Hillsborough County (Florida)
Sheriffs Department says the Hakkens "are anti-government," have
"attempted a previous abduction at gun point in Louisiana," and
"are considered armed and dangerous."

Joshua Hakken is facing two counts of kidnapping, two counts of
interference in child custody, two counts of child neglect, one
count of false imprisonment, burglary with a battery, and grand
theft auto. If he was armed when any of that happened, Florida's 10-20-Life law
could come into play.

While I haven't been able to figure out anything about the
"anti-government" rally Hakken was allegedly attending in Slidell,
or what happened between June 2012 and Wednesday of this week, his
and his wife's political beliefs are hardly the danger that law
enforcement officials are making them out to be.
From The
Tampa Bay Times:

In February 2012, someone writing as "SailingBull" posted to the
website for Adam vs. The Man, a forum "about challenging authority,
sticking it to the man, and giving the millennial generation a
voice."

"My name is Joshua Hakken," he wrote. "I am a father, a
registered professional mechanical engineer and a veteran of the
USAF. I am absolutely devoted to life, liberty, the rights of the
individual and the Constitution of the United States of America.
"

After saying that he had noticed that "things here in Florida
have not added up for quite some time," he concluded, "in these
crazy times, maintaining open communication lines for ideas,
observations and news is absolutely crucial if the 'good guys' are
to be successful in surviving to maintain the fight of ideas."

That same story includes several quotes from neighbors about how
normal and pleasant the Hakkens are, save for a rather careless
habit of smoking pot in their driveway.

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

The mention of a gun I read was that he took a gun previously to the foster facility and could not get in so he left. The most recent story indicated that he did not have a gun at MILs and he tied her up.

He may have actually been in jail as a joint can still get you 6 mos in LA

Quoting EireLass:

I'm wondering why he thought he needed a gun to take them from the mother-in-law. Why couldn't he just grab and go? Or tie her up and go? I don't think he should have lost his kids in the first place IF all he was doing was smoking a joint. If he's a dealer, it's another story.

Quoting morriganna:

Quoting radioheid:

While I don't agree with why they were taken, given the limited information we have on the reason for their removal, I don't believe he should ever regain legal custody, considering his frightening response.

If there was not a good reason for his children being taken then they were kidnapped. What lengths would you go to if your children were kidnapped?

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

The so-called war on drugs has taken sense out of the legal system. While I think that CPS is a necessary evil, many workers are burn outs who just don't have the empathy to deal with situations where the emotions of parents and children are running high.

Not pot smoking, although if he was running around high with a gun there is reason for concern.

As far as I know there were no weapons charges just possession and paraphernalia.

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

Ugh. I live here so this case is plastered all over every channel. I don't know what to think about it. The State doesn't normally sever parental rights just for the things this man is accused of. Not to mention both parents lost custody, not just him the day before he abducted the kids and sole custody was granted to the Grandma. There has to be MUCH more to the story we have not heard. So sad. ;-(

I am praying when they are found all goes safely. I pray their boat and the family stays safe. This is just an awful situation any way you spin it.

Luckily I don't think these parents are at all interested in hurting their kids. They just wanted them back. I just hope no one is hurt when they are found, or in wherever they are headed.

apprehend MY kids simply because i smoke pot and dont like the govt, and you can consider me armed and dangerous too, because come hell or high water i would be getting my kids back

thats a gut feeling I have though my children are grown

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

Ugh. I live here so this case is plastered all over every channel. I don't know what to think about it. The State doesn't normally sever parental rights just for the things this man is accused of. Not to mention both parents lost custody, not just him the day before he abducted the kids and sole custody was granted to the Grandma. There has to be MUCH more to the story we have not heard. So sad. ;-(

I am praying when they are found all goes safely. I pray their boat and the family stays safe. This is just an awful situation any way you spin it.

Luckily I don't think these parents are at all interested in hurting their kids. They just wanted them back. I just hope no one is hurt when they are found, or in wherever they are headed.

How far you go in life depends on your being: tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and strong. Because someday in life you would have been one or all of these.GeorgeWashingtonCarver

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